When the World Ends, Where Do the Brave Ones Go?
by Puppet James
Summary: The gang are enjoying a calm night in Giles' flat, when something unexpected occurs. What will this mean for their future? Time Travel.
1. Part I

**Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Authors Note; **Okay, this is just a quick and sweet little story that I wrote recently. It's in three parts and I'll post over the next few days. When I started writing it, I realized that, if I tried to flesh it out, it would forever be a WIP, so I kept it short, to the point, and open to interpretation. Hope you like it.

For Buffy, this is after **Pangs **but before **Something Blue**. For Angel, it's after **I Will Remember You** but before **Hero**.

**WARNING!** Slight character bashing occurs, mostly aimed at Xander and Angel. This is probably a personal touch I unknowingly put in, but it does seem to fit the story, so I left it in :)

Also, just so everyone's with me; everything in the show happened, but not the comics, which I haven't read. So keep in mind that this is not an AU, in any way, other than the future that happened after NFA faded to black. But I won't go into too much detail on that, so it's just an 'in case' warning.

I think that's it and if you have any questions... well, you know what to do :D

Puppet.

* * *

Giles hung up the phone and returned to the living room, hiding the smile on his face. Olivia was all set to arrive in two days and he honestly couldn't wait. He leaned against the entry to the kitchen and watched the young kids arguing over a TV show and his smile grew.

And then he noticed the black and white figure by the front door.

Bloody hell.

What was he going to do about the annoying presence in his home, that was currently tied to a chair and completely useless? The arrow wounds from three days ago had finally healed and the Watcher was preparing to chain the Vampire to his tub, right after he took a shower in a few hours, but Olivia wasn't a fool. Eventually, she'd notice something odd was going on.

And he had no intention of telling her the truth of his life, afraid she'd reject him if she knew.

No, he'd have to find another way.

If he hadn't run into Mrs. Summers recently and learned that she would be out of town for a while, he might have considered her house a solution, despite any protests his Slayer may shout out, but unfortunately Joyce was visiting family for another two weeks. The girls' dorm room was far too small, even for the two of them, so that was ruled out as well.

He sighed as he realized that there had really only been one option all along, but it wouldn't be pretty.

Giles opened his mouth to ask Xander to help him out, when he suddenly changed his mind. Face to face was much too risky, with the mouth and temper on that boy. No, best to wait until last minute. He'd call him the next day and ask him to come by later that night, leaving him with no other choice.

He hated being underhanded like that, but sometimes it was simply necessary.

The three teenagers, and former Demon in the body of a teenager, sat in the living room, an old TV show running in the background while they played cards, all seated on the floor around the table. Anya was munching on popcorn and loudly sipping on soda, while the others tried to ignore her.

Willow was close to blowing a fuse and stood up, fast. "I think I'll go back to the dorm, now, got an early day tomorrow."

The clueless Slayer figured her friend wanted to talk more about her heartache privately and mimicked the redhead. "Yeah, it's getting kinda late. We'll see you guys tomorrow."

The two girls walked over to the door and began to put on their coats. Xander and Anya sat down for another game and Giles sighed, wishing they could just all leave at once. He really needed his sleep, and he still had to shower and chain up the smirking Vampire.

Everything happened all at once.

Buffy forgot about her coat and walked over to the surly Vampire, where the two began bickering, once again. Willow stood by the rack, hand hovering over her jacket, staring at her blonde friend and the not-so-scary-anymore evil fiend. Xander stood by the couch, helping his friend by throwing the occasional slur Spike's way, while Anya stayed seated and ate her popcorn. Giles pushed his glasses up when his thumb and forefinger rubbed his nose, a headache forming.

These were the positions they were in, when everyone heard a strange crackle and pop, building somewhere in the room. All eyes turned on an electrical light bursting and glowing mere feet from where Giles stood and there was nothing but silence as they waited for whatever was coming.

Buffy quickly grabbed up a sword, just in case, but never moved her feet.

It was difficult to adequately describe exactly what was going on and they all stared on in shock and wonder, when the sudden electricity suddenly sprang into being and a very familiar, yet not, figure stood before them.

Another Buffy.

This one was the same height, but appeared taller due to her skinny physique. Her blonde hair was straight and up in a high ponytail that almost reached her hips. Her eyes were sunken in and dark, smudges of dirt covered her face and arms, and she was clad in a completely black ensemble of tight jeans, a v-neck shirt that clung to her form and black, fingerless gloves.

Her green eyes stared around the room, taking in each face she saw, including her own, before she crashed to her knees, sobbed and cried out. "It worked!"

Her whole body shook as fat tears ran down her face and, despite the shock of the situation, Willow couldn't stop herself from rushing to her friend's side and hugging her tightly to her own form. She made small shushing sounds and ran a hand down her back, wide eyes staring around at the others.

Four of them stayed completely still, unable to move though they wanted to, but Giles' Watcher training taught him to act quick and he soon knelt down beside the two girls, his glasses held in one hand and his forehead in the other.

"Uh, Buffy?" He carefully asked, making it clear which one he was speaking to.

"Oh, Giles!" She cried out and suddenly grabbed him up in a tight hug. "It's so good to see you!"

Thoroughly gobsmacked and unsure of how to react, he simply spluttered in the face of her strength and tried to form a sentence. Willow took pity on him and slowly clawed Buffy's hands off from around the older man. He nodded in thanks, but stayed where he was, hoping for some answers.

They all were.

Five long minutes passed before Buffy rose from the ground, smiling tearfully at the room and squeezing Willow's hand, before pushing both the redhead and Giles a few feet away from her. "I know you all have questions, but they're gonna have to wait. I've got some business first."

Her Watcher took one look at her dark eyes and made a hand move to make the younger Slayer keep whatever was on the tip of her tongue to herself, for now. "What can we do to help, dear?" Regardless of where she came from, she was still Buffy and he would do almost anything for her.

Her answering smile said that she had heard his thoughts. "Thanks, Giles, I can always count on you. Um, it's something called a Runes Sphere? I was told you'd have one here?" She pouted and tilted her head.

He raised his brows in surprise. "More than one, yes. Ever since I learned the true use of the orb I had to find something else to use as a paperweight," he chuckled and walked over to his bookcase, where a small box sat. "Are you telling me that these, too, have a more important purpose?" And here he thought he knew more than the kids.

Buffy offered an almost smile and took the small, clear and jagged stone from his hand. "No, not unless you put a specific spell on it, which I'll need you to do." She pulled up her sleeve and everyone saw that there was writing on it.

"Why...?" Giles let the question hang in the air.

She shrugged and rolled her eyes. "You can only bring certain materials with you, which is what my clothes and gloves are made of. Anything else dissolves on arrival, which is why I need you to do the spell on the Rune."

"And what is the spell?" Giles asked, writing down what was on her arm and handing it to Willow, who softly whispered the words while holding the stone, before returning it to Buffy.

"You're about to find out." As the small orb began to glow, she quickly explained. "If I can't bring a piece of paper with me, that rules out any form of communication."

And just then an unfamiliar voice seemed to emanate from the very stone itself. "Uh, hello?"

Buffy's brows furrowed and a slightly annoyed glint appeared in her emerald eyes, followed by a roll. "Jeremy, what are you doing with the Rune? Hand it over, now!"

The young boy stuttered back at her. "Sorry, General, I'll go get the captain immediately." A rustle could be heard in the background as he went off to search for the elusive captain.

In the room in Sunnydale everyone was whispering to themselves or each other, wondering when and how Buffy had gotten such a title and who this mysterious captain would be. Not to mention where exactly she came from; the future or another dimension?

"How was the trip?" A new, deeper, older voice came from the stone suddenly and Willow realized that, had she not known her childhood friend so well, she never would have recognized it.

There was such sorrow and darkness in his tone.

So when Buffy replied, "Xander," the entire room gasped, including the shocked and tied up Vampire. "I made it here fine. I'm currently standing in Giles' living room in Sunnydale and, well, pretty much everyone is here. I'd say it's somewhere around the whole Chumash Indians thing."

The Xander in the room grimaced, while his other self replied. "Don't remind me. Okay, so that gives us a where and when, which is perfect. I'll go get our resident Witch." They could hear him handing the stone over to someone else and everyone, including Buffy, simply assumed that it was Jeremy, holding it for the captain.

Until a female voice spoke. "I bet everyone is freaking out. It's just like you not to explain anything until _you _want to."

The younger Buffy tilted her head; there was something _so _familiar about that voice, and yet not. She got her answer when the other her answered with a small smile. "Hey, Dawnie."

Eyes around the room widened at the mature tone of the girl who was, at this point in time, only thirteen years old. "Don't 'hey' me, how come you neglected to tell me you were doing this?"

Buffy bit her lip. "Because you and I have had just about enough of goodbyes."

Despite divided between years and space, both women thought of the same events; Buffy's death in Glory's portal, how they grew apart after Sunnydale collapsed and their forced distance when the world went to hell.

It was one of the things Buffy vowed to change; their relationship.

None of the others dared ask what they meant by those words, simply keeping silent while they listened to the two sisters softly speaking to one another. And, as agreed, nothing nearing a goodbye passed between them. The younger Buffy watched, envying their close sisterhood, no idea that half an hour ago she was an only child.

The monks moved fast.

"Okay, I'm here!" Another decidedly female voice called out, grabbing the stone from Dawn.

Once again no one realized who it was and Buffy rolled her eyes; it was amazing how different your voice became when you were full of confidence. "Hey, Will, what've you've got for me?"

The redhead counterpart standing in the room gasped and Buffy wondered if they would run out of air soon. "A potion. Why don't you hand the Rune over to Giles and I'll walk him through it all. Then, when it's done, let me know. We'll finish the ritual and then you guys drink the potions, kay?"

Buffy nodded to herself and bit her lip. "Got it. I'm handing you over now."

Once again, no one in the room had any idea what was going on and had no plans to ask. From the stress lines on the blonde Slayer's face, they didn't want to distract her. For Spike's sake, he just didn't want to risk her wrath; this Buffy seemed a lot tougher than the one standing beside his chair. Plus, he was just a little bit curious, admittedly.

Buffy kept silent, chewing on her bottom lip and not looking at anyone in particular, while Giles, with help from the other Willow, gathered the ingredients and got out the correct spell book. They were all lucky that nothing was missing; the suspense would kill them if it took any longer.

In the meantime, everyone was lost in thought.

Giles thought of nothing but the spell and the words coming from the stone, understanding that to mess up this potion could very well kill the ones drinking it and since he knew that one of them would be Buffy, and could guess that the other one was someone in this room, he wasn't taking any chances.

Willow was tripping on her feet, hovering beside the Watcher and staring wide-eyed whenever she heard her own, more mature, voice emanating from the Runes Sphere. It was the first time since Oz left that she had successfully been distracted, something she would be grateful for later, when she realized it.

Xander was still standing by the couch, staring back and forth between the new Buffy, the regular one, and the spell-casting duo by the kitchen counter. He refused to look at the Vampire, convinced that he had nothing to do with this, anyway, and shouldn't even be here. He wondered why neither Buffy had put him in another room and hoped that nothing they learned in a few minutes could be used to blackmail them by the Bleached Wonder.

Anya was bored.

And both Buffy and Spike watched the other Slayer closely, each of them noting the same things. The tiredness of her entire body. The scars covering her exposed skin. They both knew Slayers healed from most wounds and each of them raised a brow when they noticed it. They saw the darkness in her eyes and worried/wondered where it had come from.

And if it was what she had come back to change.

Because if there was something these two were equally sure of, it was that Buffy wasn't from another dimension; she was definitely from their future.

Seconds after Xander had opened his mouth to break the silence, Giles announced that he was finished. As per Willow's instructions, he handed the two vials to Buffy and held the stone out for the blonde to speak into.

"Okay, Wills, go ahead. And... take care," she whispered at the end.

"It's okay, Buffy. Once the ritual is completed this future won't exist anymore, so there's no reason for you to worry yourself. Just make the changes you want and, more importantly, be happy." Only they knew why those words meant so much.

"I will." No goodbyes were spoken out loud and the stone shimmered a bit, before going back to dull. Buffy put it down on the table and stretched out her back. "Here we go," she said, a bigger smile on her face than since she'd first arrived.

While the others didn't know why, yet, they _did _notice yet another electrical light building, by the chair where Spike was tied up. Now knowing what would happen, if not _who_ would happen, they prepared themselves for whatever was coming.

None of them realized what Buffy was doing until the knife crashed to the floor and Spike's bonds fell useless to the ground. Before any of them could jump into action or even just complain about why she did that, a figure popped out of the electricity.

It took longer than it should for them to recognize him.

Still wearing his heavy, black boots, and tight, black jeans, everything else was new. The black sweater made from the same material as Buffy's clothing, and, as it was, the same as the boots and pants he'd been wearing for years were made of, identical black fingerless gloves, brown hair in unruly curls, dark blue eyes and, to finish it off, an eye-catching and jagged scar, running down across the length of his entire, pale face.

No one knew what to say.

Taking advantage of the shocked stillness of the room, Buffy threw the potion to the newest arrival and, simultaneously, the two drank down until the bottom. Nothing appeared to happen once they were done, but that was because only those two knew what the effect was.

Moving in almost exact tandem, Buffy and Spike walked over to their counterparts and put one hand on their shoulders. Once contact had been established, their forms shimmered and shook, before disappearing into the other two, who glowed for a few seconds before returning to normal.

And just like that, the spirit of the two time travelers had joined with their younger bodies.

Again, no one knew what to say.

Buffy and Spike stared at each other, odd tiny smiles on their faces. As green looks into blue, they both move at the same time, jumping into each others arms and kissing for all they're worth.

Xander feels sick, Giles is abhorred, Willow's mouth won't stay closed and Anya... well, she's still bored.

"Good Lord," the Watcher finally manages to let out and it does the trick.

The couple stuck with their tongues in each others mouths suddenly remember that they aren't alone and break apart, but keep their arms wrapped around the others waist. Buffy bends around the lithe body she's holding and when she looks at Giles, there is a glimmer in her eyes that was missing before.

And it isn't due to the younger body she's in.

"You wanted to know why I came back. Well, it wasn't because of some apocalypse or death I wanted to prevent." She turned back to stare at her love. "I came back so we could be together."

The softness of Spike's answering smile was something none of them had ever seen before and they were blown away by it. Even if Xander tried to silently deny it or tell himself it was fake.

So taken in by the surprise by it all and the obvious love flowing through the two empowered beings, it took a while for anyone to notice the item lying forgotten on the ground. Until Willow gasped and bent to pick it up.

"What's this?" She said, turning to Giles and holding it out for him to see.

But it was a non-caring and shrugging Buffy that answered. "It's called a behavioral microchip; it's the thing that was keeping Spike from hurting humans. It came out when the enjoining spell occurred just now."

Everyone seemed to take one step back, while staring at the suddenly dangerous Vampire, who only rolled his eyes in response and let his love answer. "Take it easy, guys. I know this'll be difficult to understand, but you can trust Spike, okay?"

"And why should we?" A stubborn Xander groused, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Because he has more than proven himself in the future."

"But this isn't the future," he called back.

Buffy rolled her eyes. "No, but we are _from _the future. Seriously," she muttered to herself and Spike smirked down at her.

Xander made a noise in his throat and didn't loosen his stance; it was obvious he needed more evidence than that. All eyes on the couple by the wall and no one noticed that anything was happening behind the couch. Not until a suddenly more confident voice spoke.

"Oh, for crying out loud, he's got a soul, people!" Anya said, rising from her seat and finally engaging herself in the conversation.

Buffy stared at her, tilted her head, and then smiled. "Anya? _Our _Anya?" She gestured to Spike as she said it.

The woman smiled brightly and nodded her head so hard that her hair was flung back and forth. "Sure is, Buffy. And it's good to see you two again."

Before she could finish her sentence she was bombarded by the blonde Slayer, who engulfed her old friend in a tight hug. "You have no idea how good it is to see you again, Anya. I'm so sorry that I took you for granted and that it took you dying for me to realize how much I cared for you."

"Ridiculous woman," she said, shaking her head and pushing away from the hug to look at her. "Of course I knew and of course we were friends. Just because we weren't the same kind of friends as you and Willow, or you and Xander, doesn't mean we weren't friends anyway. Don't be silly, Buffy, it's not a good look for you." She stated, matter-of-factly.

Spike's deep chuckle rang through the room and Buffy walked backwards into his arms.

"Excuse me," Xander said, holding a hand up as if he were back in school. "But did someone say something about a soul?"

Anya wished she could say she was surprised by his complete lack of care for the fact that she had died in the future. She shook her head and promised herself to dump him as soon as she got the chance. She refused to go through all of that again; the boy would never move past his commitment issues, she was sure.

Or at least he wouldn't with her, especially now.

Everyone ignored him as Spike finally spoke. "You a Demon again, Anya?"

In response the woman shifted into a much different face and teleported the few feet from the couch to where the couple stood. "Sort of."

Buffy frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

Anya sighed. "After I died in the school, I was pulled in to speak with a messenger from the Powers That Be. They had seen that you would, eventually, do this, and wanted to offer support as a way to apologize for everything you've both been through. And as a reward for being the Champions they always knew you could become. So, I'm here, no longer under Hoffy's rule, and with the ability to grant any wish you want. But _only _a wish from you two."

Buffy and Spike turned their heads so they were looking at each other, paused for a moment, and then turned back to Anya, smiling. "Sounds like something that'll come in handy in the future, no pun intended," Buffy replied.

"Hello! Am I invisible, or something?" Xander cried out, waving his hands about.

"Unfortunately not," Spike snorted under his breath.

Buffy softly hit him in the stomach and smiled. "Be nice." They both knew she didn't completely mean it.

She was as annoyed by this version of her friend as Spike was. Of course, it didn't help that the two men had a begrudging respect and camaraderie with each other in the time they had _just _come from.

She turned to her oldest friend. "Look, we'll tell you everything, okay? But right now there are some things to take care of, things that take precedence over any explanations you feel you deserve to hear. Accept it or don't, not my problem." She raised her hands and shrugged her shoulders, before turning away from him again.

"So," she said, once more speaking to Anya. "These wishes you speak of... what are the lines?"

Anya's brows furrowed. "Lines? What do you mean?"

"Stop chewing your lip, love," Spike said, pulling at her mouth with his fingers, a smile on his face.

"Sorry. Anyway, what I mean is, what are the limits? What _can't _we wish for?"

"Hmm, let's see. Other than the obvious ones, I don't think there is any."

Buffy momentarily turned to look at Spike. "What do you mean the obvious ones?"

"World peace, world war, death, life, those are the big four that are not to be messed with."

That one should have been obvious, was the thought of most of the people in the room. "Okay, that's no problem, then. I think."

Anya stared at Buffy, trying to figure out what she was getting at. "What _exactly _is it you want to wish? Just come out and say it."

Her green eyes peered at the ground as she spoke. "My mom..."

Anya's smile was bright as ever. "Absolutely. It's more than within reason and my capabilities. Just state your wish and I'll grant it."

"Serious?" She asked. Though she'd wanted it since the moment Anya told her what her new purpose was, she hadn't been sure if it was actually possible. She didn't know what to say. Luckily for her, she had a wonderful man at her side, who leaned down and whispered helpful suggestions in her ear. "I wish that my mother, Joyce Summers, be of full health, from now until her inevitable death. If she should die, it will not be from any human disease."

"Just to be clear, you're leaving it open to accidents and the supernatural, right?" Anya asked, one finger pointed in the air. Buffy paused, and then nodded. "Okay, then." The Demoness' face shifted. "Done."

There was no fancy flash or other sign that it had worked, but Buffy knew better than to doubt her friend. Her entire body seemed to let go of a severe burden she'd been carrying for a decade. One she hadn't even realized she'd still been carting around.

"Thank you," she whispered, voice hoarse from the emotional backlash of this moment.

"Buffy," Giles spoke, stepping slightly forward to grab her attention.

But he didn't need to ask the question. "It was complications from a surgery to remove a tumor. It happened a little more than a year from now. It broke me. Of course, it didn't help that I was then given the task of raising a teenage girl, _on top_ of my Slayer and world-saveage duties."

He simply nodded, knowing that if he spoke he may break. To think that such a woman would have her life cut short. It was one thing to be the mother of the Slayer, but then to experience such a human death. He couldn't even begin to imagine what that must have been like, for all of the involved parties.

And was now happy he didn't have to find out.

"Can we talk about this soul that Spike claims to have now?" Xander almost yelled, his face red from trying to keep it all bottled up, when Buffy had asked him to.

But the Slayer just turned to him, said a stern "no," and went back to speaking with his girlfriend.

They spent a few minutes straightening out Anya's new status and what it meant for Buffy and Spike, with Giles chiming in every now and then. Spike was surprised, at first, by Rupert's willingness to trust him – or at least give him a chance – until he remembered that this was before he'd gone to the Vampire with the idea that the chip might be a higher purpose and been shot down by the snarky blond.

This Watcher still had hope for the Vampire and Spike realized the avenues it may open up.

When the third yawn escaped the Slayer's mouth, Spike put his foot down and insisted they find a place to bunk down for the night. And that's when another issue came up.

"Willow," Buffy said, getting the attention of the girl who was now trying to calm down Xander. "I wanted to let you know that I'll be moving out of the dorms. I just can't see myself living in a place like that anymore."

And that's when the redhead realized the one question no one had thought to ask. She walked around the couch to stand in front of the blonde. "Buffy... how old are you?"

She awkwardly shrugged one shoulder and gave a crooked grin. "I'm from almost exactly one decade into the future."

Willow's eyes widened and when she spoke, her voice was high-pitched. "You're twenty-eight!?"

The Slayer just nodded, a small giggle escaping her at the sight of her friend's pinched face. "So you see my dilemma, right? And, since my mom... passed away when I was barely twenty, I've pretty much been an adult, and part-time mother for Dawn, for the past nine years. I'm not really the partying, carefree co-ed anymore."

"I totally get it, though I _will _miss having you right there."

Buffy smiled and was about to comment, when Anya nudged her and mouthed a reminder. She turned and stared at Spike and they had one of those silent conversations that they always tried to ignore being capable of in the past. Well, _she _did the ignoring, really.

After a minute or so the blonde turned back to her friend. "We're going to have a new member of the gang in a few months, but there's no reason we can't speed it up a bit. Her name is Tara and you were the one who befriended her and brought her to us. She's a Witch, like you, only she's been training since, well, birth. Her mom was a Witch, too."

"Wow," was all the redhead said, though there was a smile of interest and the thought of learning something new on her face.

"Which reminds me," Buffy said to herself, before turning to her Watcher. "What time is it in England right now?"

Trusting that she was mature enough to not need to be questioned, he simply answered and then led her to the phone, where he watched her quickly dial an obviously familiar number, all the while wondering who she could possibly want to get in touch with in England, when both he and Spike were here.

How many Brits did she know?

And then he remembered that she was a decade ahead of him and there was no telling what she had been through, where she had been, or what people she had met. Which was proven even more when she spoke.

"Hello, I'd like to speak to Althea, please."

Giles knew that name and, while it certainly wasn't _that _unique, he was positive that she was speaking to the Devon Coven right now. The only remaining question was why?

The collected people in the room all stayed quiet, listening to Buffy's half of the conversation. "Hi, you don't know me, but my name is Buffy Summers. That's correct, the Slayer. Yes. I'm calling because I need your help. There are a few Witches here on the Hellmouth who help me in my battles, but they don't have even _basic _training and I think we both know how dangerous that can be."

The rest of it went unnoticed as Anya pulled Willow over to the couch and Giles and Xander followed. Spike stepped up to help out his love and the couple went ignored for the first time since the night had practically begun, less than two hours ago.

"Who is she talking to?" Willow asked, worried. After Giles explained the Devon Coven and their purpose, her worry only grew and she began to panic. "But, why is she doing this? I don't need help, I've been doing fine on my own."

Before Giles could agree with the redhead, Anya piped in. "Willow, Buffy knows the future, which means she knows what you're capable of. And, I was there... it wasn't pretty."

Xander was the only one who didn't understand the implications of that. "What does that mean?"

The Demoness sighed and rolled her eyes. "It means that Willow, from just a few short years down the line, killed two humans, almost killed Giles, Buffy, myself, Dawn and you, and almost destroyed the entire world. Three years from now, Willow wasn't helping to stop the apocalypse, she _was _the apocalypse to stop."

No one knew what to say to that, so Xander simply gathered a crying redhead into his arms while Giles whispered to Anya to explain exactly what had happened then. But by now the call was done and the Slayer stepped over to the small group.

"Not important, Giles, we won't let it happen again." Her words were to the point and aimed at the hysterical Witch. "Althea is coming here herself and bringing two others with her. They'll de-rat Amy and then train her, Willow and Tara."

"But, I thought you said that this Tara girl had been trained from birth?" Giles asked, reaching for his glasses.

"She has, but since her mother obviously never knew that her daughter would one day work with the Slayer, Tara isn't very well-versed in the art of offensive and defensive magic." She closed down the subject, for now, and turned her next question to the room in general. "Is there any way to make sure that Tara will room with Willow after I move out?"

Anya rolled her eyes with a smile. "Of course there is," she said and then stared at the blonde, as if to say how obvious it was.

And then Buffy got it. "I wish that, when I move out of the dorms, the office will automatically put Tara Maclay and Willow Rosenberg together in a two-bedroom." It did make some sense, she decided. After all, in the entire time Tara lived in a dorm in Sunnydale, she lived on her own.

"Done."

"Okay, I think that's all," Buffy said to the room and reached back to grab Spike's hand. "With mom out of town, we'll go stay at the house until we find something else. I'll see you guys tomorrow. Goodnight." Then she turned and her and her Vampire walked to the door, where he graciously helped her into her coat. With the door open, she turned back with a smile. "Anya, you coming?"

Her smile was bright as she ignored her boyfriend and followed along. "Absolutely."

The slam of the door was loud and ominous to the remaining three.

Serious changes were coming.

* * *

**Authors Note; **Hope you enjoyed it and don't forget to review xD

Puppet.


	2. Part II

**Authors Note; **Here's the second part and it is A LOT shorter than the other one, guys, like A LOT, so now you're warned! As mentioned in my previous chapter note, this was a quickie I just punched out in less than twelve hours and the only reason one is so much longer than the other, is because there was only one place I could split them up and that was almost to the end.

Really, this second part is more of a 'deleted scene' or 'extra material' like on a special edition DVD. It's a visit to the City of Angel, ya'll!

Anyway, wanted to make this clear, so you hopefully don't complain too much in the reviews :)

Enjoy.

Puppet.

* * *

He didn't know what they were doing in his apartment, but he wished he could tell them to leave, without coming off as an asshole. Didn't appear to be happening, though. Instead, he sighed and decided just to go with it and try to ignore them.

Which was difficult with them arguing over every little thing.

"Cordelia! Doyle! Could you let off for just a second? Why do you always have to fight?" Angel said, rising from the kitchen table, cup of coffee in hand.

They both suddenly looked very contrite, in between glares passed each others way. "Sorry, Angel, we were just trying to decide where to get takeout from tonight," Cordelia replied, causing the Vampire to roll his eyes.

Such a ridiculous topic to start screaming matches over.

And it wasn't long before Angel joined in and soon the three of them were standing in the middle of the basement apartment, yelling at each other. Thanks to that, no one, not even the super powered being, noticed the sound of the elevator descending.

When she pushed the doors aside and stepped into the room, she groaned, rolled her eyes and then whistled. Loudly. Every eye was on her.

"Buffy?" Angel asked, almost stepping forward, before remembering the last time he saw her.

"Yeah, hi, whatever. Look, I'm here on business, so let's just get this over with so I can get back home. My mom's coming back this afternoon and I haven't seen her in... two weeks. Yeah, that's it, two weeks," she spoke the last part with an awkwardly bright smile.

"What are you doing here?" The Vampire asked, puppy dog eyes staring at his love.

"Yeah, weren't you _just _here, like, last week?" Cordelia said, crossing her arms. "Granted, it was a pretty quick visit, but still."

"Actually," Buffy said, glaring at her ex. "It wasn't that quick, you just don't remember it."

Angel's eyes widened; the Oracles had made it clear. "You..?" He couldn't get the words out.

Buffy nodded. "Yep, but I'm not here to talk about that. Really, I'm just here for a few things, business, like I said." Then she seemed to turn to a piece of empty air. "Anya, could you join us, please."

The Demoness popped into the room and looked over at the three present. She remembered Cordelia from high school, for obvious reasons, and Angel from the few times she'd met him, but the tiny Irishman was new. Once she had taken in everyone, she waited for her friend to speak again.

"This is Anya and she's gonna help me out with a few things." That was all the explanation they got, before she got started. "I wish for Angel's soul to be permanent, no more happiness clause."

"Done," she spoke, momentarily switching into her other face.

But before Angel could feel too happy about his love's words, she continued. "Okay, next up. I wish for Angel to feel the effects of the chip, whenever he thinks too evil a thought." Seeing three questioning faces, she elaborated. "Even souls can be corrupted," she said with a carefree shrug.

"Do you think that's smart?" Anya asked and Buffy didn't have to wonder what she meant.

She thought it over while ignoring Angel's sputtering. "You got a point, soul or no soul, he's never had the same ideas of good and evil as normal people. Tell you what, why don't you tie the new curse into Doyle's thoughts on it? If it's okay with him, of course."

Shocked at being included in the conversation, he cleared his throat and straightened his clothes. "Uh, sure, why not. It won't be painful, will it?" He leaned forward to ask the Slayer.

"Not for you," Anya quipped, accepting Buffy's shoulder in her side.

"As long as Angel stays on the straight and narrow, he'll be fine. But, if he does something that _you _would consider evil or underhanded, he will feel an intense pain in his head, so powerful it could potentially knock him out." She smiled at them all at the thought. "Now, if you ever feel like leaving him for greener pastures, or if _he _decides to leave you 'for your own good' or whatever, call this number and we'll figure out something new." She handed the part-Brachen a small piece of paper.

"You got it, toots," he said with a small smile. Though Angel was his friend, they hadn't met until the Powers sent him, which meant that the Vampire had lost his way, so Doyle was aware that the brooding man was nowhere near perfect.

This may be just the thing to set him straight, once and for all.

Cordelia seethed in silence, forgotten by the other four, and had no intention of changing that anytime soon. To be honest, this particular Buffy frightened her. She didn't know what had happened, but the blonde was different; _very _different.

The kind of change that doesn't happen in the week it had been since she last visited.

But having no intention of getting her own ass ripped a new one, she kept her thoughts to herself.

For now.

"Okay, that was that for business, so we'll take our leave again," Buffy said, taking a last look around the room, before entering the elevator again.

Once she was out of sight, Anya nodded once and then disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Leaving only silence in their wake.

* * *

**Authors Note; **And there you have it.

(Will be followed by the third and last part; the epilogue)

Don't forget to review.

Puppet.


	3. Part III

**Authors Note; **And here's the final part, hope you enjoy it :)

Puppet.

* * *

They walked hand in hand down the crowded street of Los Angeles, speaking lowly to each other and smiling whenever they caught each others eyes.

It had been a long decade, but more than worth coming back in time for.

Today they had woken up, taken one look at the calendar, and realized that it was the date when they had gone back. And the future they had traveled back to prevent had never happened.

There was no buildings just randomly on fire in downtown LA, no Demons roaming the streets, openly, and, Buffy and Spike knew, no pre-teen children forced to fight and die for a cause that didn't belong to them.

While they had, at first, gone back to be with each other, they had ended up saving so much more than just their relationship.

The first victim saved had been the Slayer's mother who now, more than eight years since her original death, was living healthy and expecting another grandchild. She was living with a nice man she'd met five years ago, after her and Brian had broken up, and she was happier than she had been in a long while.

They had managed to save Dawn's innocence; she never found out she wasn't entirely human. That was a secret that Buffy and Spike were taking with them to their eventual grave. Ben Wilkinson had been in an unfortunate 'accident' and Glory never even made it to the Hellmouth in the first place.

Now, Dawn was a happily married woman, expecting her second son. Her husband had taken over the Magic Box when Giles retired to Bath and the two were living a relatively normal, Demon-free life and didn't regret a moment of it.

The couple continued to think of the past as they walked down the stairs of a very familiar nightclub.

It had only been two weeks after Anya had tied Angel's curse to Doyle that the half-Brachen Demon had given his life on the Quintessa and forced the Slayer to find a new, kind soul to tie the brooding Vampire to. Thanks to memories of the future, they had approached the owner of Caritas; Lorne.

He had gladly accepted and the rest is history.

Not long after Doyle's death, Cordelia had returned to the Hellmouth and the Slayer with a plea. With everything that had been changed, she wanted to be far away from Angel, but was afraid that any other city she chose would be just as full of Demons. So the former Queen C had swallowed her bile and come home.

Where she found her happiness.

After finally forgiving her ex for his betrayal in their senior year, Cordelia and Xander got back together and, today, they were married and trying to have kids. They still helped out, occasionally; it really couldn't be avoided, considering that Doyle had still given the cheerleader his visions before he died.

But other than the occasional phone call with imminent danger, they enjoyed normal life.

Buffy and Spike weren't truly that upset to lose the support, because they had more than enough already. With a Hellmouth Coven of five Witches, an extra Slayer and Vampire, not to mention a powerful Justice Demon, they had all the help they needed.

They greeted Lorne when they made it down the stairs and both ignored the Vampire trying to hide himself in the corner. The curse put on Angel a decade ago had truly done wonders.

Even if the Demon in question probably wouldn't agree.

They chatted for awhile as the club slowly filled up with patrons come for a good time. Buffy and Spike eventually took their seats in the middle of the room and sipped their drinks, watching show after show on stage.

They tried to make it out here once a month, considering the friends they had made here, in both futures.

One by one, they were joined by these friends; Gunn and Alonna sat down across from the couple, no longer uncomfortable surrounded by Demons. They laughed and smiled, waving at their boss when he joined the foursome. Wesley had come a long way from his first year in Sunnydale. And beside him sat his babbling, excited wife, Winifred Wyndam-Pryce.

Spike had made it clear to his Slayer that one of the first tasks for them to do, once the Initiative was gone, was open a portal to Pylea and get his Peanut back where she belonged.

The bleached Vampire jumped when a hand touched his shoulder and shocked him almost out of his seat. He rolled his eyes and said hello to Gwen, the leather clad beauty they had saved from death six years ago.

She was the only one, other than Alonna of course, who the couple had only known in _this _future. They knew nothing of her past with the Vampire whom she did not know this time around.

As the night wore on and they enjoyed their time together, the empowered couple spared the occasional thought for the continued changes they had managed to make.

Back on the Hellmouth, watching over it each month when they were gone, was their team. Faith, the Vampire Slayer, who'd had a rocky beginning. But the fact that she had already turned back to good in Buffy's future ensured that the blonde never gave up on her. The dark rebel never ended up in prison, as it was.

When Lawson eventually showed up in Los Angeles to, once more, check up on his Sire, he was intercepted by Lorne, who sent him two hours away to Sunnydale. There, he finally found his purpose; both in fighting the good fight and in loving a quirky Demon with a blunt way of putting things.

Anya and Lawson had recently had a beautiful commitment ceremony.

As Buffy and Spike had known, it took almost no time for Willow and Tara to fall in love. The redhead never went down a dark path, but always lived with the knowledge that she easily could have. She took in everything that Althea taught her and turned it into a power never seen before.

And she wasn't the only one whose future managed to change by the Devon Coven Witches; Amy never strayed from the path of good, either. It didn't hurt that, whenever she got close, someone was there to remind her of the weeks leading up to Catherine Madison's disappearance and then, after a visit to see her father, Amy was right back on the path.

Spike was the one who had pointed out to his mate who the woman was, that arrived to be trained by Althea, just three years ago. Turns out that, in this new world, Nina Ash had never been bitten by a Werewolf and instead been picked up as having amazing potential for magic.

She was now a part of the family and knew only of the cursed Vampire through stories.

The final member of the Hellmouth Coven, the family and the new future, was the true surprise and the final reward from the Powers.

Buffy and Spike waved goodbye, hours past midnight, and got into their car, heading for home.

And their daughter.

* * *

**Authors Note; **Don't forget to review, people xD

Puppet.


End file.
